Tapaz mayor fails to stop Palomar's banca race
TAPAZ, Capiz – Tapaz Mayor Rosemarie Gardose together with police and provincial Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) personnel failed to stop the boat (banca) race at the dam in Brgy. San Antonio this town yesterday.
Gardose attempted to stop the race for failure of the organizer businessman Roberto Palomar to secure the necessary municipal permits.
DENR personnel also came after they received reports that the boats used in the race were made of trees which are considered endangered species.
Gardose said she was only doing her obligation as mayor to protect the race participants from accidents or the possibility of being drowned.
Palomar, who is Gardose's second cousin, said that nobody could declare that the boats are illegal since they were an already finished product when brought to his resort.
He said that if their boats are declared by DENR as illegal, then the said government agency should also confiscate all bancas in Capiz as well as woods made for building houses since there is no proof that they are acquired illegally or not.
During the heated confrontation with Tapaz police and DENR personnel, Palomar asked if they were holding a court order to stop the race and confiscate the boats.
He said only the court could declare their bancas illegal or not, adding that the police and DENR has no right to confiscate the bancas without securing first a court order.
The heated confrontation was later pacified with the intervention of Tapaz Commission on Election (Comelec) municipal officer Frank Palomar who is the uncle of both Gardose and Roberto.
In the end, Gardose peacefully left the place while the boat race sponsored by Palomar went ahead.